Gays in Iraq terrorized by threats, rape, murder

[Barrett808]

Source: CNN

Gays in Iraq terrorized by threats, rape, murder
By Frederik Pleitgen, Mohammed Tawfeeq and Wayne Drash

Editor's note: CNN agreed to change the names of the two men in this article to protect their identities.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Kamal was just 16 when gunmen snatched him off the streets of Baghdad, stuffed him in the trunk of a car and whisked him away to a house. But the real terror was about to begin.

The men realized he was gay, Kamal said, when he took his shirt off and they saw that his chest was shaved.

"They told me to take off my clothes to rape me or they would kill me immediately. This moment was the worst moment in my life," he said, weeping as he spoke of the 2005 ordeal.

"I was watching them taking off their clothes, preparing to rape me. I did not know what to do, so I started shouting loudly, 'Please do not do that! I will ask my family to give you whatever you want.' "

His pleas went unheeded. "The other two kidnappers took off my clothes by force, and, at that time, I saw them as three dirty animals trying to tear my body apart."

He was held for 15 days, released only after his family paid a $1,500 ransom. He was raped every day. Only once, he said, was he allowed to talk to his family during captivity. "I told my family that I was beaten by them, but I did not dare to tell my family that I was raped by them. I could not say it, it's too much shame."

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/07/24/gay.iraqis/index.html

[panader0]

1. Sorry to say, this headline sounds alot like this country.

[Spouting Horn]

7. Sorry, Gays

enjoy a much higher level of tolerance in the US than they do in Iraq.

In Middle Eastern culture the "pitcher" is never gay, only the "catcher," hence the apparent contradiction.

[jwirr]

2. Doesn't it seem odd to you that they would use their sexuality in a

way that they obviously disapprove of. All along when we are seeing the pics of the abuse I am thinking for heavens sake they are participating in what they SAY they are against. Bunch of hypocrites.

[FatDave]

3. Odd, yes.

Not so surprising though.

[xchrom]

4. recommend

[varun]

5. MSM finally picks up this story

we on DU, have been reading about such incidents in Iraq for sometime now.

[superconnected]

6. Men who rape men to show they're against being gay, typical.

[nam78_two]

8. Man-poor kid

Why are there so many sociopaths in the world :(?

[msongs]

9. sometimes i internet chat with gays in iraq, they really want to get out nt

[marshall]

10. where do they want to go?

[David Zephyr]

11. K&R.

Heartbreaking and infuriating at the same time. I hope this story gets more play.

[Azooz]

12. death squads

Those would be from the "thaar Allah" (God's revenge) death squad, their main branch is in Basra but their members reached the Baghdad death squads. Bush has 100+ death squads running Iraq and the Iraqi blogs talk about them a lot - that one is the only one who's boss was captured, he "escaped" last week to Tehran and good luck to anyone seeking him there. The kid was very lucky to get away alive, they torture their victims with drills "uncovered" women to.

al Hakeem is the biggest leader of the death squad (Badr Brigade) has been to the Bush White House, twice - had a long meeting with Kissinger, and the neoconns love him and have learned a lot from him on how to run a good "election" and get rid of the "wrong" voters in Baghad - he's dieing of cancer but his son is stepping in.

One problem the green zone has these days is that their death squads seem to have lost heart, the Iraqi blogs are posting their names, addresses, pictures and list many of their murders by date and location to - Kamal's case will not be taken to court, the judges are chosen by the death squads, and they are the police - but the blogs will see that his case gets lot more effect than a CNN could.